Girafes in the Grass

Laurent Baheux develops his favourite subject, wildlife, exclusively in black and white:?Africa is rich in colours, but for me it is a land of light and contrast.?By thus simplifying the action of the light, the spectator can reach the essential without being distracted by colour. Laurent Baheux presents photos which emphasize attitudes, animals with almost human looks. He denies being an animal photographer. He makes it his exclusive mission to capture the beauty of a world on borrowed time and is hugely inspired by Peter Beard?s work.Through his repeated journeys and his field experience, Laurent Baheux is aware of the harmful effects of man on the environment and therefore on the species which populate this land. The photographer wants then to show the vividness of these species which are still living, but more than ever threatened and the immense richness that they represent for the planet. His awareness has turned into photographic commitment.

Laurent Baheux was attracted to journalism and editing at first, rapidly discovering a passion for wildlife photography. He has always been fascinated by Africa. From 2002, during a visit to Tanzania, he began personal work on the wild fauna. From then on, he chose black and white, with its play of shadows, to immortalise rare and ephemeral natural scenes, constantly seeking to sublimate the animals, to capture the magnificence of their attitudes and the emotion of their gaze. His artistic career in black and white reached a turning point when he was nominated for the international Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2007 in the ?Creative Vision of Nature? category. Through a stylised aesthetic approach that stands out from traditional photography, Laurent Baheux magnifies the nature and wildlife he encounters, whether it be tigers, lions, giraffes, elephants, or migrating birds.